Committee publication · Correspondence · 9 July 2026
Correspondence to the Electoral Commission regarding embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party, dated 6 July 2026
Summary
The Scottish Affairs Committee writes to the Electoral Commission seeking detailed clarification on compliance mechanisms for Policy Development Grant funding following the SNP embezzlement scandal. Chair Patricia Ferguson requests specifics on Electoral Commission compliance checks, audit independence, the rationale for reviewing past accounts, and whether enforcement powers under PPERA have ever been used.
Key findings
- Committee questions the sufficiency of Electoral Commission compliance checks and audit processes in detecting misuse of Policy Development Grant funding, noting SNP auditors only resigned in 2022 after criminal activity spanning over a decade.
- Committee seeks explanation of what information prompted Electoral Commission to review past SNP accounts and declarations, and whether Police Scotland has provided evidence warranting further examination of Policy Development Grant expenditure.
- Committee challenges the audit process's independence and robustness, asking for confidence assessment that similar malfeasance to 'Mr Murrell's' could not be repeated without prompt detection.
- Committee requests confirmation whether Electoral Commission's powers under PPERA to safeguard public money have ever been exercised.
Tone
CriticalTopics
political-financefraud-embezzlementelectoral-regulationpublic-accountabilitycompliance-enforcement
Key actors
Patricia Ferguson MP, John Pullinger CB, Electoral Commission, Scottish Affairs Committee, Scottish National Party, Police Scotland, Mr Murrell
Notable line
“… confident are you, therefore, that the audit process is sufficiently independent and robust to identify the misuse of public funds allocated by the Electoral …”
Key Quotes
“It would be helpful to our consideration of the matters raised in relation to the embezzlement of funds from the SNP, if you could describe the nature and scope of those compliance checks”
“… the criminal activity occurred over a period of more than a decade, and the party's auditors resigned in 2022, only after the resignation of the party treasurer and the launch of Police Scotland's investigation”
“How confident are you, therefore, that the audit process is sufficiently independent and robust to identify the misuse of public funds allocated by the Electoral Commission so that malfeasance similar to Mr Murrell's could not be repeated in the future, without being spotted promptly?”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗